In an Instant
by Pickles Nickels
Summary: When a sex offender kidnaps two young girls, Olivia vows to get them back alive and unharmed. But are some promises too much to keep? EO
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer-Not.Mine.

A/N- Please review! And for a little back story on the fic...there is a "men's shelter" near my house that houses level 3 sex offenders. The idea both disturbed me and inspired me at the same time...

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**SEPTEMBER 14, 2005**

**AUGUSTUS ST.GAUDEN'S PLAYGROUND, **

**20TH STREET AND 2ND AVENUE**

**3:45 PM**

"C'mon, Cadie. Play some more?" Cadence Smith had just flopped on to the park bench, exhausted from playing hide and seek with her little sister, Tonya.

"Sorry, sweetie, I'm dead tired." Tonya made a pouty face. As if on cue, her friend Michelle came in with her mother. "Look, there's Michelle, why don't you go play with her?"

"Okay." Tonya wrapped her arms around Cadence before running off in Michelle's direction. Cadence smiled at the two, wishing she was still that little. Michelle's mother, Mrs.Jordan, came over and sat next to Cadence.

"I would kill to have that kind of energy." She said.

"Yeah, me too. High school is murder after freshman year. I was up until midnight finishing my French project."

"That sounds tough."

"Yeah, it is sometimes."

"How's you mom doing?" Cadence automatically felt uncomfortable. Her mother was not someone she liked to talk about.

"She's...fine. Still having headaches." More like constant hangovers, Cadence thought. "The medicine should start working soon."

"That's good." They paused for a second to watch Tonya and Michelle running around. It was then that Cadence noticed him. Just the way that he was looking at her scared her. Mainly because it looked like he was trying to get a glimpse of what was up her skirt. She clenched her legs together tighter. His gaze shifted from her to the two girls running. He stood up, slowly. It was then that she realized what was about to happen.

"I think I'm gonna get out of here." She said, standing quickly, and grabbing her and her sister's bags.

"Why the rush?" Cadence simply pointed.Mrs.Jordan understood immediately. "Oh God...Michelle!" She yelled. Michelle stopped for a second to see who was calling her. "Michelle, sweetie, its time to go!"

"You too, Tonya." Cadence added. The two girls made pouty faces as they began to walk slowly towards the bench. But the man was faster. In what seemed like one swift moment, he snatched up the two girls.

"NO!" Cadence and Michelle's mother yelled in unison as they ran to stop him. Somebodys mother pulled out a phone and dialed 911.

"I don't think so." The man said pulling out a gun. Cadence froze. "Nobody move, or I will shoot." Someone made a move while his head was turned. His grin became more twisted. "Nice try." He pulled the trigger. A bullet spiraled into a man who lived in Cadence's building. His wife screamed. A group of cadets from the 13th precinct police academy heard the shot, and started running. But the man was faster. He ran out of the gate and towards his car, a silver Chrysler. Mrts.Jordan chased after him. By the time she got there, he was already starting up the car.

"Please! Let them Go!" She banged on the window. He pressed the gas pedal. Mrs.Jordan grabbed the door handle, and was dragged along with the car, screaming. He reached the corner, and turned knocking Mrs.Jordan off. Cadence stood in the park, frozen.

"Tonya..." She whispered, as the world around her went black.

* * *

Two hours later the scene was quite different.police and CSU people were still on the scene, and SVU had been called in. 

"Any idea when they'll get here?"

"Any minute now. We called about 15 minutes ago."

"I hope so. I'm not getting anything out of that girl over there. You know, the sister." Cadence wasn't speaking to anyone. SVU had been called in because it was a child abduction,and also because of Cadence's silence. Officer Dalman had beenthe first to try and question Cadence. He was a big guy, and intimidated quite a lot of people. They had assumed, by her reaction that she could have been sexually assaulted, and he was giving her flashbacks, so they tried again. This time with Officer Pundik. She was a petite woman, and pretty good with kids. But even with her, Cadence still remained silent, staring at the deli across the street.

"You guys SVU?" Captain Mullen asked the two detectives walking towards him.

"Yeah, I'm Detective Stabler, and this is Detective Benson."

"What exactly happened?" Olivia asked.

"Two children, both female, were abducted by a man who we are assuming is from the men's shelter up by Bellevue."

"When you say men's shelter, you mean homeless shelter?" Elliot interrupted.

"No. The one that houses the sex offenders. Which is why we called you guys in." Olivia felt a stab of anger. No matter how many cases she worked on involving young children getting assaulted, it always angered her. There went another child's innocence. "The girl over there, we think she's the sister of one of the victims. But she is not talking to us. We thought that maybe she was a victim too, when we had Officer Dalman over there," He pointed at the large officer. "interrogate her. So we tried with Officer Pundik here. Still no answer."

"Liv, why don't you try?" Olivia nodded. She headed towards Cadence. She was sitting on the curb, wrapped in a grey blanket.

"Hey there. I'm Detective Benson. What's your name?" Cadence continued staring at the deli. Olivia rubbed her back. "It's okay, I'm here to help." for Cadence and Tonya, help meant nothing. Three ACS workers later, they were still with their parents. But she decided to trust Olivia anyway. She seemed nice enough.

"My name's Cadence Smith."

"We'll find your sister, sweetie. Just tell me what happened."

"She was playing tag with her friend Michelle...And this guy was looking at me. So I looked away and then he was watching Tonya and Michelle like he wanted to...you know...and then he grabbed them and shot that man...And he put them in the car...Mrs.Jordan ran after him...then he drove off and then everything went black..."

"You passed out?" She nodded tearfully.

"Please, Find my sister!" She pleaded.

"We will, honey. Where do you live?"

"16th and 3rd." She sniffled. "Apartment 7C."

"Thank you for helping out. We're gonna take you home, okay? Do your parents know?"

"I didn't call them...Mrs.Jordan might have, though."

"Okay...Can you describe him for us?" Cadence sniffled, holding back the tears that the memory of this man brought. "Take your time." Elliot came over. "Cadence, this is my partner, Detective Stabler." She smiled weakly at him. Elliot sat down on her other side.

"Cadence, did you know this guy?"

"I..." She thought about it. Something about the creep had seemed familiar, like he was a friend of the family or something, but she wasn't quite sure. "Maybe. He seemed a little familiar."

"Can you decribe him for me?"

"He had kind of greasy black hair, pale skin...I think his eyes were grey or blue...they were light..um he was wearing brown shoes, a blue shirt and khaki pants..." the more she described him, the more something told her she knew him from somewhere, that this wasn't just a stroke of bad luck.

"Thnak you, sweetie." Olivia stood up and offered her hand, to help Cadence up. Olivia led her over to the waiting uniform officers. "These people are going to take you home, okay?" Cadence nodded. Olivia pulled her into an embrace. "But I promise, I will be here for you if you need me." She ripped a piece of paper off of the notepad she had written most of the details on, and wrote her number on it.

"Thank you." Cadence got into the car, her eyes never leaving Olivia until they were out of eyeshot.

"You think that this was premeditated?" Olivia was started out of her thoughts by Elliot, who had come up behind her.

"As much as I don't want it to be, I think that there is a very good chance that it was."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- thanks for all of the reviews! You rock!

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**SEPTEMBER 15TH 2005**

**APARTMENT OF JENNY AND MICHAEL SMITH**

**200E 16TH STREET, 3RD AVENUE**

**10:16 AM**

Elliot knocked on the door to Cadence's apartment. No response. "Mr and Mrs.Smith? It's detectives Benson and Stabler. We're working on Tonya's case, can we please talk to you?" He said. There was a thump, followed by the sound of a door closing. Then he heard the front door being unlocked, and unchained.

"Sorry about that, I knocked over a couple of books." That explained the thump. "Please, come in. Michael's at work."

"Thank you." Elliot entered the apartment followed by Olivia. They followed Mrs.Smith into the living room.

"Please, sit down." They sat on the couch. Mrs. Smith sat in a chair facing them. "Did you find anything new about Tonya?"

"No, not yet. We're still waiting for a list of missing offenders from the shelter." Olivia said. "Do you or your husband have any enemies, or anyone who would want to hurt you or your daughters?"

"No, not that we know of. Well, Michael and his brother don't always get along, but he would never dream of hurting Tonya. Or Cadence." Elliot scanned the living room. On a table there was one picture of a much younger Cadence, holding baby Tonya while her mother watched. No more pictures of the children. No artwork, no crafts, nothing that a parent would proudly display, boasting about their childs talent. Something was off about this family. And Elliot did not like it one bit.

"What does your husband do for a living?" Elliot asked.

"He's a doctor at Bellevue. Psychiatrist actually. He works in the department with the criminals." Elliot and Olivia exchanged a look. "You don't think that it could have been one of his patients, do you?"

"There is a very big possibility." Olivia said

"Oh God..." Mrs.Smith buried her face in her arms and began sobbing. Olivia reached over and patted her arm.

"Mrs.Smith, we will find them." Elliot stood up to leave.

"Thank you for your time. I'm sure once we get that list, we'll get them back." Mrs.Smith stood up and walked with them to the door. She didn't speak another word as they left. Once they were in the elevator, Elliot spoke.

"There's something wrong about that family. No pictures, no crafts. No nothing."

"I noticed that." Olivia crossed her arms. "You think maybe they're abusing them?"

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but that's what my instincts are telling me." They got off of the elevator. "I mean, why wouldn't a parent display anything their children made for them?"

* * *

Back up in the apartment, Cadence lay on her bed, facing the wall. She had heard almost every word of the conversation. She gripped her wrist and winced. It hurt a lot. Probably broken again, she thought, wondering when her mother was going to be passed out so she could get some ice for it. Tylenol was out of the question. Those were counted. Someone would definitely notice if two were gone. She would have to make due with an ice pack. Suddenly the door opened. 

"Get up." She stood up immediately. He mother walked around inspecting her room. Before the detectives had gotten there, her mother had been doing her daily inspection of her and Tonya's room, and had found a stray sock under Tonya's bed. Without warning, she had been slammed into the wall. That's why her wrist hurt so bad. "What's this?" She was holding up a necklace from her gradmother. It must have snapped when her mother grabbed her. It would explain the cut on the back of her neck. It had all happened so fast, she didn't know that it had happened at all, until it hurt.

"T-that's my necklace..." She said in a small voice. "It must have snapped."

"Is this the way you should be treating something that grandma spent her money on? Huh?" Cadence stood there, praying that she would go away. "Answer me, you little freak!" She pinned her up against the wall, one hand on her throat.

"No." it came out as a squeak. Her eyes filled up with tears. Please, just let her go away, she prayed.

"Then don't treat it like that. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"Good." She slammed her on the bed. Her mother may have been small, but she was much stronger than she looked. She curled into a ball, trying to keep herself from crying. Her mother just stood there staring at her. Then she threw the necklace at her and left.

* * *

Hours later, Cadence heard the sound of glass breaking. She must be passed out by now, she thought.She cautiously opened her door, and looked out. Drunk as a skunk. Her mother was passed out on the couch. Now she could get that ice. Her wrist was hurting worse than ever. She looked at it. It was swollen. As she pulled it out of the freezer, the phone rang. She picked it up on the second ring. 

"Hello?" She said in a low voice.

"Mrs.Smith?" A voice came.

"No, this is Cadence."

"Cadence, it's Detective Benson. You're just the person I want to talk to. Can you come meet me in your lobby?" She looked at the passed out woman on the couch. Definitely out.

"Yeah. I'll be right down."

"See you soon." She hung up, and threw the ice pack back in the freezer. Her mother moaned. She froze, fearing that she would wake up and discover that she was leaving. She simply shifted a few inches. Cadence breathed a sigh of relief, as she went to get a sweatshirt and her shoes. On her way out of the apartment her mother moaned again. This time she simply ignored it as she went out the front door. While she was in the elevator, she pulled her hood up to hide the cut on her neck. Olivia didn't need to know about this. The door opened at the first floor.

"Hey Cadence." Olivia said as Cadence got off of the elevator. She was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the elevators. Elliot was sitting in the one next to her.

"Hey."

"Do you wanna go somewhere else to talk?" Elliot asked.

"No, here's fine." She sat in the chair across from them, looking at the floor.

"Sweetie, it's eighty degrees outside. Why are you wearing a sweatshirt?" Olivia asked.

"I'm cold." She lied, keeping her bad wrist covered by the sleeve. In fact she was pretty hot.

"You're sweating." Olivia said. "When you sweat, your body is trying to keep itself cool. You're not cold."

"Why does it matter? Aren't you supposed to be helping my sister?"

"We are, but we want to help you too." Olivia reached over to take hold of her hand. By accident she grabbed her bad wrist.

"Ow!" Cadence exclaimed, pulling away.

"What's wrong?" Elliot asked. Cadence stared at the floor.

"N-nothing.." She mumbled. Olivia gently pulled the sleeve back.

"That's not nothing." She said. "I think you broke it, sweetie."

"Whoa, how'd that happen?" Elliot asked.

"I...I fell. I didn't tell my mom because I didn't want her to worry."

"You need to see a doctor about this." Olivia said. She looked up, eyes frightened. The x-ray would reveal every previous fracture or break in her wrist. It happened all the time to those kids in the cop shows. If they found out that her mother was hitting her, the next hit would leave more than a bruise. It would leave a dead fifteen year old girl on the floor. "Come on, we'll take you over to Bellevue." Cadence shook her head. "Cadence, you need to come with us. No one will hurt you there, I promise. I'll stay with you, if you want." She stared at the ground, ideas running through her head. One stood out. _Run,_ She thought, looking up. The door was open. As if a firecracker had gone off underneath her, she jumped up and ran, out the door and up the block to third avenue.

"Cadence!" Elliot yelled, running after her. Shit, the light was red. And he was gaining on her. she paused at the street corner, looking at the passing cars.In that moment she made the stupidest decision of her life. She ran across the street.

"Cadence, stop!" Olivia yelled. She ran into the street after her. As she got close, she narrowly missed getting slammed by a silver SUV. Cadence, however, wasn't as lucky. "Cadence!" She screamed, running to the fallen girl's side.

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keep reviewing! 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Sorry for the wait, school has been keeping me pretty busy lately...and thanks for all of the reviews!

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"Is she dead?" Elliot panted. 

"No, but we need a bus now." He nodded, pulling out his cell phone.

"She just jumped right out in front of me, I swear!" The driver said, coming over. "Oh man, I am so sorry..."

"I know." Olivia said, as she took Cadence's hand.

"Bus is on it's way." Suddenly she began to convulse.

"Shit!" Olivia exclaimed, trying to hold her down. A woman came and knelt next to her.

"I'm a doctor, I can help. Turn her on her side, she could very easily choke." Olivia rolled her onto her side. The sound of sirens was getting closer. "I'll hold her head."

"Hold on, Cadence." Olivia said. "They're almost here, just hold on." An ambulence pulled up, and two EMTs came out with a stretcher.

"She's having a seizure!" The doctor said. "Get her some adavan." One EMT rummaged through the bag for a syringe.

"Did she hit her head?" The other one asked.

"I think so." Olivia said. The syringe was inserted into her arm, which was being held still by the doctor, and in a few seconds the shakes stopped. Cautiously, Olivia let go, afraid that any second it would start again. The EMTs pushed Olivia away as they began to work on Cadence. Elliot helped her up. "How could they do something like this?"

"I don't know, Liv. It's just one of those sick things that happens. But now she'll be safe. There's probably enough physical evidence to prove that they're hitting her, and to get her out of there for good."

"I sure hope so."

* * *

Two hours later, Olivia was sitting in the waiting room at Bellevue. Elliot had gone off in search of something to eat. There was still no word on Cadence's condition, but the doctors said it was most likely that she suffered a skull fracture, among other injuries. Every time she pictured her scared face, her fists balled up in rage. 

"Here." She looked up. Elliot was holding a bag of chips, and a can of Sprite. "You need to eat something." She took them from him,and placed them on the table in front of them. "Olivia..." He said in a warning tone.

"I'm not hungry, Elliot." He sighed. She could get like this when she was too wrapped up in a case.

"Detective Benson?" Someone asked. She looked up. "I'm Dr.Petersen, I'm in charge of Cadence."

"How is she?"

"She has a skull fracture, and broke her wrist. The rest are just cuts and bruises. But when we did the x-rays, we found previous breaks in both of her wrists, arms, legs...Even a rib fracture. Did you guys find anything that suggested abuse?"

"It was a theory, before we came. She came to talk to us, and her wrist was swollen, and she wouldn't let us see it." Elliot said.

"Can we see her yet?" Olivia asked.

"For a few minutes. She's pretty shaken up, so try not to agitate her."

"We won't."

"Right this way." They followed her through the maze of stretchers and machinery until they got to Cadence.

"Hey Cadence," Olivia said, going over to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty." She stared away from Olivia, at a blank spot on the wall. Elliot's cell phone rang. He ran outside to answer it. "Did you find my sister?"

"Not yet, but we'll get something soon. I have a feeling that that call Elliot just got has something to do with her."

"I hope so." A silent tear rolled down her face. Olivia simply stroked her hand to reassure her. Elliot came back in.

"We've got a lead. A woman said that she saw a silver Chrysler pull up at a building across her street. Two girls were inside."

"Cadence, we have to go, sweetie. I'll be back later, I promise."

"Please find her!" She pleaded.

"I will." She squeezed Cadence's hand one more time before leaving

* * *

Fin knocked on the first door they saw. An old man wearing a robe answered. 

"Yeah?" He and Munch flashed their badges. "Hey, I didn't do nothing!"

"Relax, we're just here to ask you some questions. I'm Detective Tutuola and this is Detective Munch. We're from the special victims unit. Do you know this man?" He pulled out the sketch that had been made the day before.

"Never seen him before. Why?"

"He's the main suspect in the kidnapping of these two girls." Munch showed him the pictures of Tonya and Michelle. "Are you sure you don't know him?"

"Like I said, never seen him before. Or those kids."

"Thank you for your time." Munch said. He closed the door with a bang. "One down, 23 to go."

* * *

"We can't get a warrant on a hunch that those two girls are there. We don't even know if that was his car! Do you know how many silver Chryslers there are in Manhattan?" Casey said. 

"If they're in there, and we don't do something, he's gonna hurt them! Come on Casey!" Olivia practically screamed. Elliot gently rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

"Get me some evidence first, Olivia. I don't want to see them get hurt either, but the law is the law."

"Casey's right, Liv. We could just be on a wild goose chase. Let's just wait for Munch and Fin to get back." Olivia sighed. Those were not words she wanted to hear. Her cellphone rang.

"Benson."

"Liv, it's Fin. The lead was a fake. Me and Munch interviewed the whole building. No one has a silver Chrysler, or knows anyone with one. There aren't even any children in the building."

"Who called it in?"

"No idea."

"Thanks." She hung up, biting her lip. "The lead was a fake." Neither Casey nor Elliot said anything, fearing that she would see it as them rubbing it in. "What am I going to tell Cadence?"

"The truth." Casey said. "She might not like it, but she sure won't like it if you lie to her either." Olivia nodded, trying to think of the right words to say.

* * *

The floor was as cold as a block of ice. The only thing separating Tonya from it was a sheet of newspaper. She was scared, and alone. Michelle was in a different room because she "wasn't part of the original plan" as the man had put it. All she wanted right now was Cadence. She looked up at the high window, wondering if there was any way out. She may have only been nine years old, and scared out of her wits, but it didn't stop her from believing that she could get out. The door opened.

"Here's your lunch." the man threw a bag of potato chips at her. "Eat up, it might be the last time you do." He laughed creepily, closing the door behind him. Her hands shook. Frantically she looked around, for something to give her a boost up towards the window. There were a few boxes, but were they enough? She got up and dragged a few towards the window and climbed on them. Not enough. She jumped down, feeling defeated.

"Dammit" She whispered. Her mother's favorite word aside from stupid, bitch, moron, loser, pathetic...She sniffled, wondering what her mother was doing to Cadence right now. She climbed up onto the boxes again. Maybe if I jump, I'll reach it, she thought. She jumped, and managed to grab the sill. There wasn't too much for her to grab. She let go with one hand, trying to feel how it opened with another. She soon discovered that it was sealed shut. She would have to break it. She grabbed the sill with her other hand, and and slowly let herself back down on the boxes. Now to find something to break it with...

* * *

Olivia was back at her desk after her visit with Cadence. Even after all of her years at SVU, for some reason, this case broke her heart more than anything.

"Liv...Coffee." Elliot said, handing her a cup of Starbucks coffee. She took a sip, and placed it on her desk, wrapping her hands around it. "Want to talk about it?" She shook her head, but started to speak anyway.

"I've never felt this way about a case. I mean, I've gotten pretty into it before but...I dunno...Reminds me of me, kinda." She tried to smile, but her teary eyes showed her true emotions.

"Cadence, you mean?" She nodded again. He rubbed her back. "We have enough evidence to take her out of there. I'm sure she has family she can stay with." Olivia nodded tearfully. "Come here." He enveloped her in a hug. "It's all going to be okay."

"But what about Tonya...I mean they're closer than anything, if she loses her..." She trailed off.

"We'll find her." Just then, Olivia's cell phone rang.

"Benson."

"Hello Olivia." A male voice said. "I have something for you."

"Who is this?"

"Don't you want to know what I have first?" There was some background noise.

"Cadence?" A scared girl's voice said. "Cadence, I wanna go home!"

"Tonya?" Elliot's eyes opened wide in shock.

"Where's Cadence?"

"I'm Detective Benson, I'm gonna get you out of there, I promise."

"I want Cadence!" There was some more background noise.

"You've spoken enough, give me the phone!" The man was back. "Just wanted to let you know that I have her and I'm gonna be generous and give you one week to find her and the other little brat." He hung up.

"Son of a bitch!" She yelled, throwing her phone across the room.

"What did he say?"

"We have one week to find them."

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	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- Again, not mine.

A/N- Sorry this is taking so long. School's evil. Now that I'm on spring break, I should be able to get some more in...After that I don't know cuz they have me doing a really stupid research paper which is going to take up a lot of time. Like I said, school's evil. And thanks to everyone who reviewed, it keeps me going ;)

* * *

"You sure it was him?" 

"I'm sure. El, she sounded so scared..." Olivia nervously bit her nails, a habit that only came when she was under intense stress.

"Liv, what happened?" Cragen asked. He had heard a noise in his office, and came out to see Olivia freaking out.

"That was our perp. He somehow got Liv's number and called her." Elliot said.

"We've got a week to find those girls." Olivia said, going over to retrieve her phone. She looked it over. It wasn't broken, as far as she could tell.

"Liv, give me the phone." Cragen said. She handed it over. "I'm gonna get a tracer on this thing, and maybe when he calls back, we'll get a location."

"Yeah, but don't you think he'd take some sort of measure to keep us from getting the signal?" Elliot said.

"Elliot, he just grabbed those girls. This wasn't some sort of carefully planned operation." Cragen said.

"Then how'd he get Olivia's number? Why did he call her?" The fury was evident in his eyes. He did not like it when people messed with Olivia.

"Cadence did say that the perp looked familiar..." Olivia added, remembering her words from the day before. "We should go ask her again. Maybe she'll remember more by now." She went to leave.

"Liv it's past visitng hours. We'll go in the morning."

"Both of you go home and get some rest. I'll take care of the tracer." Cragen said.

"What if he calls overnight?"

"We'll take care of it." Olivia nodded and went to get her things.

"You're coming to my place." Elliot said.

"Elliot I'll be fine."

"I'll feel better if you do. That bastard has your cell number and your name. There's no telling what else he might have." She sighed. They had never really slept over at each other's houses before. Excepting that one time when Elliot had fallen asleep on her couch. But that had happened during the daytime, so it didn't really count.

"Fine." She said with a sigh. "Just let me get some stuff from my apartment, 'kay?" He nodded.

"I'll drive you." The two of them left together.

"Any bets on how long it's gonna take before they realize that they love each other?" Munch asked, watching them leave.

"Haven't we done this already?" Fin responded.

* * *

The first thing Jenny Smith noticed the next morning, was the pounding headache she had as a result of drinking too much. Then she noticed the ringing phone. She pried herself off the couch to go get it. 

"Hello?"

"Where's the other number?" Michael Smith's voice boomed through the phone.

"I told you, I only had that one...Where are you?"

"Ann street."

"Where the fuck is that?"

"It's down by Ground Zero, just get me the damn number!"

"I told you Cadence only had one! I found it in her school bag."

"Where is that little bitch?"

"I'm supposed to know? She ran out on me.Why do you need it so bad?"

"We're trying to throw them off track." There was a knock on the door on Jenny's end.

"Mike, I gotta call you back. Someone's at the door."

"Jenny you gotta get me that number. This isn't going as we planned it."

"You think I don't know that?" The knock got louder.

"Police, open up!"

"Christ, Mike it's the cops." She bit her lip nervously, looking for a way out. Unfortunately the only way was the window. "Mike, what do I do! They probably saw something on Cadence and took her to the hospital... Oh God..."

"Mr and Mrs. Smith! We know you're in there! Open up or we will break down this door!"

"Just go answer it."

"Yea." She hung up, and nervously went to the door. That little bitch better not have said a fucking word, she thought as she unlocked it. As soon as she got it open, Munch and Fin burst in, cuffing her.

"Jenny Smith, you are under arrest for endangering the welfare of a child."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Thats not what this report says." Munch said with a smirk, as he waved Cadence's medical records in her face. "It says here that you've beaten that girl pretty hard. Where's your husband?"

"He's at work." Munch and Fin exchanged a glance. "What?"

"We were just at Bellevue. He's not there." Fin said.

"Then I have no idea! What am I supposed to keep tabs on him all the time?"

"Let's go. You have the right to reamin silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..." He continued reciting her miranda rights as he led her downstairs. Now all they had to do was find Michael.

* * *

Michael drummed his fingers against the roof of his car. "Now what?" He wondered aloud. 

"Now you pay me." Jonathan said with a smirk

"I told you I'd get the money in a few weeks."

"A few weeks isn't good enough." Michael laid his head aginst the car. "However..." Jonathan began.

"However what?"

"I will take your other brat as payment. She's pretty hot." He smiled at the memory of Cadence in her short skirt.

"Fine by me. All you have to do is find her."

"No problem. How many Cadence Smiths are there in New York?"

* * *

The next morning, Cadence woke up to someone pulling her tubes out. And it wasn't someone from the hospital staff. 

"What the hell are you-"

"Shut up, or you'll get it." Jonathan Baker turned around, aiming a gun at her head. "Because daddy dearest doesn't seem to have the money to pay me, I'm accepting you in place of cash. You're mine now." He said, finishing up. He placed a band-aid over where her I.V. had been.

"You're not going to get away with this. If you shoot me, they'll hear and-"

"And I have a silencer on this thing." He said tapping it with his finger. "One more word out of you, and you're history. Now get dressed." She silently obeyed, praying that Olivia or someone would come in and help her. No such luck. "Now follow me." Somehow he got her out of the hospital, and onto the street. "Get in the car." He said, opening his car door. It was a different one from two days ago. He threw a blanket over her, to make sure that she wouldn't see where they were going. Then, making sure that no one saw him, he got in and drove off.

* * *

An hour later, Elliot and Olivia made their way into the ER, to ask Cadence a few more questions about the man who had taken her sister. 

"Detectives!" Dr.Petersen ran towards them. "We tried calling, but they said you had just left...I'm so sorry."

"What?" Olivia said, fearing the worst.

"Cadence is gone."

"Gone as in dead, or gone as in someone took her?"

"Either took her or she ran away. When we went in this morning, no one was there."

"Dammit!" Elliot yelled, punching the nearest wall.

"Elliot..." Olivia said in a warning tone.

"Whoever picked up the phone when we tried calling you said that they would send a Crime Scene Unit down to look for evidence." Dr.Petersen said, looking strangely at Elliot.

"Thanks for telling us." Olivia said, reaching for her cell phone. Then she remembered that Cragen still had it. "El, gimme your cell phone." He nodded and handed it to her. She dialed Fin's number.

"Tutuola."

"Fin, it's Olivia. Cadence is gone."

"I know. We would have called sooner but, we had to go arrest her mother."

"Is she there?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, me and Elliot will be there soon. Bye." she hung up, and handed the phone to Elliot. "We've got Mrs.Smith."

"Good. Maybe she'll know something." He started towards his car.

"I hope so."

* * *

The door opened up, and the man threw someone into the room. He left as quickly as he came, slamming the door. The person slowly got up.

"Cadence!" Tonya screamed, running to her older sister.

"Tonya!" She embraced the little girl tightly. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, are you?"

"Yeah. Is Michelle here?" Tonya shook her head, tears falling out of her eyes. "It's going to be okay, sweetie. We're going to get out of here."

"I wanna go home!"

"We will, sweetie, we will. I promise."

"How do you know?" Cadence stroked Tonya's head lightly.

"Because I met the detectives looking for us. They will get us out of here, Olivia promised."

"Is she one of the detectives?"

"Yeah." Tonya sniffled, and Cadence hugged her tighter. "It's all going to be okay."

* * *

"I don't know anything."

"Cut the crap!" Olivia slammed her hands on the table. "First you beat the shit out of this poor girl, and then she's kidnapped? There has to be a connection somewhere."

"Like you said before, maybe it was one of Michael's patients." Jenny's eyes were cold, unlike the last time she had met with Olivia. Last time she was full of crocodile tears for her daughters. Now it was pure hatred. "I don't know anything."

"Well, do you know where Michael is?" Elliot said.

"No. I want a lawyer." Olivia glared at her, holding back all of her rage. She and Elliot left the room.

"Well, looks like we're not getting anything out of her for a while" Cragen said.

"Bitch." Olivia mumured.

"Here's your cell." He handed it to her. She took it and slipped it into her pocket.

"CSU's found a couple of partial fingerprints." Munch said, coming up to them. "They belong to a Jonathan Baker. Convicted sex offender, assaulted three women in the past six years."

"He was on the missing list, wasn't he?" Olivia said, referring to the list of missing offenders from the Bellevue psychiatric center.

"Yup."

"Do we have a picture?" Munch opened the file he was holding, and pulled out a picture. Olivia took it from him and looked it over.

_"He had kind of greasy black hair, pale skin...I think his eyes were grey or blue...they were light..um he was wearing brown shoes, a blue shirt and khaki pants..." _Olivia remembered Cadence's description of him.

"He looks like the guy Cadence described." Elliot took the picture fom her.

"You're right. We've got his address, right?"

"Yeah." Munch said. "But chances are, he's not gonna be there."

"It's still worth a try." Elliot said. "I'm gonna call for a S.W.A.T. team. We'll get this bastard before he kills those girls."

* * *

Keep reviewing!  



	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- I wish they were mine...

A/N- Yay! I got another chapter up! Go me!

* * *

It was the stereotypical apartment building of a rapist, or a murderer. Dimly lit, dirty and absolutely no sound barriers. As Elliot and Olivia followed the S.W.A.T. team with a couple of uniform officers, they could hear individual arguments and conversations. Olivia was convinced she heard the sound of a smack at one on the 3rd floor. But she couldn't be too sure. 

"On three. One, two..." One of the S.W.A.T members said, when they reached the apartment. "Three" The door was smashed down. The two detectives burst in with the rest of the team.

"Clear." Elliot said, moving into a room to inspect it further. Olivia went down the hall, gripping her gun. She hoped she wouldn't have to fire it.

"Clear." She called out, moving into what appeared to be a kitchen. The stove looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in several years.

"Liv, come here!" The tone of Elliot's voice was ugent, and she hurried to the room he had gone into. In his arms was a small girl with curly brown hair. Michelle, she thought, feeling relieved and worried at the same time.

"Is she alive?" Elliot felt for a pulse at her neck.

"Yeah, just unconscious." Olivia pulled out her cell phone and called for a bus. Elliot lightly stroked the girl's head. Olivia knelt next to him.

"Bus should be here soon."

"Detectives." Olivia looked up. "Thought you guys might be interested in this." Olivia stood up to see what the officer had for them. Pictures of Tonya and Cadence. "Looks like he took them from a hiding place."

"Yeah." She said, inspecting them. There were tree branches in some, leaves in others. In one, there was a fence blocking part of Cadence's face. "These look like they were taken over the last year. He's been stalking them." She ran a hand through her hair. "You find anything else?"

"Still looking."

"Thanks." She went back to Elliot. "Michelle wasn't a target. Cadence was." She showed him a couple of the pictures.

"Looks like some of these were taken at their schools."

"Think anyone would have seen him there?"

"It's a possibility. It looks like he was pretty hidden, though." Their eyes met for a second. "Sick son of a bitch." He said.

"Mmmm" Michelle moaned.

"Michelle? Michelle can you hear me?" Olivia took one of her hands.

"Mommy?"

"Michelle, my name is Olivia. I'm a police officer. This is Elliot, he's a police officer too."

"Is my mommy here?" She asked weakly.

"No, but you're gonna see her real soon, sweetie, I promise." She stroked her head while Michelle cried. "It's okay, sweetie. You're safe now."

* * *

"He didn't touch her, thankfully. Other than a few cuts and bruises, she'll be fine physically." 

"Did you figure out what he used to knock her out?"

"Some over-the-counter sleeping pills. She'll be out until at least morning." Olivia nodded.

"Thank you, doctor." She went over to where Elliot was standing outside Michelle's room, watching her parents fuss over her. "Hey."

"Hey."

"She's gonna be out until morning." She sighed. "Thankfully, he didn't hurt her ."

"Yeah." There was a pause. "You okay?"

"Tired." She responded.

"You didn't sleep last night, did you?"

"Barely." She had spent most of the night tossing and turning in Maureen's old bed. He reached over and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She smiled at him.

"Wanna go get coffee or something?"

"That would be nice."

Twenty minutes later, they sat staring at each other, unsure of what to say. Elliot took one of her hands in his.

"Liv, what are we exactly?"

"I'm not sure." She said, giving his hand a light squeeze. "But whatever it is, I like it."

* * *

"So what are we looking for ?" Munch asked, sticking his head into a closet in the Smith's apartment "I mean, yeah, evidence linking Baker to the Smiths, but wasn't he one of Michael's patients?" 

"We can use all that we can get." Fin responded. He was getting a little sick of looking thorugh endless folders of papers. "There has to be something suspicious here. I don't think they planned on the police getting this involved."

"I'm gonna go look in the kid's room. Maybe there's something there." Munch walked across the apartment to Cadence and Tonya's room. On his way, he noticed a little slip of paper lying next to the couch. He stooped to pick it up. "Damn..." He whispered, seeing what was on it. "Fin, I think I got something."

"What is it?" He asked, coming over.

"Liv's number." The little slip of paper had her handwriting on it.

"So that's how the bastard got it. But how did the Smiths get it?"

"Liv must've given it to Cadence."

"Hopefully that'll be good for something."

* * *

"So, do you care to explain to me how Jonathan Baker got Detective Benson's number?" Elliot asked, trying to keep his cool. 

"I'm supposed to know? Maybe Michael found it in Cadence's school bag." Jenny Smith responded. She now had her lawyer sitting next to her.

"You seem pretty quick to sell out your husband like that." Olivia said. She glared at her. "Especially since you haven't seen him since the morning after the kidnapping. And according to you, Cadence was shut up in her room all night, am I right?" She continued to glare. "Am I right?" She repeated, louder this time.

"Once again, I don't know how he got it." It was Elliot's turn to glare. He hated this woman with all of his heart.

"Are you sure you haven't had any contact with him since you last saw him?" He asked.

"You don't have to answer that." Her lawyer said.

"Did he try to contact you? Leave any messages?"

"Don't answer it." Elliot gripped the edges of the table in front of him as hard as he could, trying to control his rage.

"So, let's talk about your kids." Olivia said. She was having just as much trouble controlling herself.

"What about them?"

"You hit Cadence pretty hard. Broke her wrist. And we have enough evidence to prove that this wasn't just a one time thing." Olivia crossed her arms. "You hit Tonya like that too?"

"I did no such thing."

"Oh, please. We have enough evidence to prove that this wasn't just a one time thing, or a fall. No teenage girl is clumsy enough to fracture or break her bones as many times as that. You know, you even broke her rib once!" Olivia was standing now, yelling in this woman's face. "How could you do that to your own children?"She and Jenny glared at each other for a few moments.

"I guess they deserved it, didn't they? I mean, come on. Cadence was such a little sl-" She didn't manage to get the rest of the word out. Olivia had lunged over the table, trying to hit this woman with as much force as she could. Elliot had grabbed on to her, and was pulling her back.

"Liv, calm down." She struggled against him. He dragged her outside of the interrogation room.

"Olivia, what the hell was that!" Cragen's voice came from behind them. She stopped struggling against Elliot.

"I...I don't know..." She stared at a spot on the ground.

"Liv, you need a few minutes?" Elliot asked. She nodded, and walked away from them.

"I don't think I've ever seen her lose control like that." Cragen commented, watching her walk away.

"Me either"

* * *

"Let's try this again." Cadence said. She and Tonya had been spending a few hours trying to break the window. "Maybe if I lift you up to do it..." She hadn't considered letting Tonya take the risk of getting hurt. In fact, she had been trying to avoid it. But her arms were getting tired, and her broken wrist was killing her.

"Let's try that." Cadence climbed back up onto the boxes. "Okay, I'll climb up on the side, or something..."

"Careful." Cadence cautioned. "Wait, gimme that thing first." Tonya handed her the metal bar that they had found. It wasn't the best thing to smash a window with. It was too small, and they were both too short. Cadence slipped it into her sweatshirt pocket. "Need a hand?"

"Yeah." She bent over and pulled Tonya up onto the top box. There was a sharp pain in her wrist as she did that.

"Okay, here goes." She wrapped her arms around Tonya's waist. She felt the boxes begin to give out under her. "Hurry, Tonya, I don't think that these can hold both of us at the same time." Tonya raised the bar over her head. The boxes slipped a little more. Tonya smashed the bar against the window with all her might. The sound of shattering glass was the happiest sound either had heard in a long time. "Pull yourself up onto the window sill." Tonya perched on the narrow sill.

"It's too high, Cadence."

"Dammit, there has to be a way out." Tonya continued looking for a possible way.

"There's a drainpipe..." She began. Did that actually work? She couldn't be too sure. Having lived in the city all her life, she never really got the chance to experiment. "Do you think it'll work?" Cadence took a deep breath, considering all of the possible outcomes of the situation.

"It might." She said after a while. Tonya made up her mind while Cadence was thinking. She was going to go for it.

"I'm gonna go for it." She slipped her legs out the window.

"Careful, Tonya."

"Always." Cadence nervously watched her sister slip out of the window. On the other side, Tonya had grabbed ahold of the drainpipe. This was way different from those poles on the playscapes in the park. She gripped it hard, and slowly began to let herself down. The warehouse was old, and the pipe was made of some sort of metal. So she wasn't too worried that it would rip off of the building. But there was a long way down. Somehow, she made it. "Cadence, it worked!" She called happily. She then saw her sister's head poke out and greet her with a grin. "Do you think you can do it with your arm and all?"

"It's worth a try." She called back. Cadence got one leg out the window, before she disappared totally.

"Cadence? Did it fall?"

"Tonya, Run!" Her sister's voice was faint. Baker had gotten to her. Tonya, didn't think, just turned and ran as fast as she could.

* * *

Olivia had gone up to the roof to sort out her thoughts. Staring out at the buildings in the city usually helped. She wondered what was going on below. Had her outburst caused her to be pulled off the case? She hoped not. 

"Hey you." Elliot's voice pulled her outof her thoughts. "You okay?"

"I guess. Just really confused. I'm not off the case, right?"

"As far as I know, no." He came up and stood beside her.

"It looks so peaceful from up here." She said, looking back out at the city.

"Yeah." Her cellphone rang.

"Benson."

"Olivia?"

"Cadence? Cadence, sweetie, where are you?"

"I don't know. He's got me... Tonya ran away. Please, Olivia help me!" There was some background noise.

"Hello, Olivia."

"You sick son of a bitch."

"Put it on speaker." Elliot whispered. She hit the speaker button. Baker's voice came through loud and clear.

"Where's Cadence?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out. I just wanted to let you know that I had her, so that you wouldn't worry." He laughed at his own stupid joke. "I also wanted to tell you that you now have five days to find her. Because that other brat ran away."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Baker laughed.

"She is one hot piece of ass." She could hear Cadence crying softly in the background.

"You sick bastard, I swear when we find you I will personally rip off your-" Elliot interjected.

"Who the hell is that?"

"Elliot Stabler."

"Well now I know who your partner in crime is. Hey, I could even make this interesting and have a little fun with you, Olivia." Elliot protectively wrapped an arm around her.

"If you come wihin a mile of her, I swear I will-"

"It's been fun, Detectives. Just remember, you have five days." He hung up the phone. Olivia looked up at Elliot, for the first time scared for herself.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer- Not. Mine.

A/N- School is no fun. Which is why I spent my entire day coming up with ideas for this, and wrote like a madwoman during my free. So i give you chapter six. and remember- reviewslove. Hehe. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed!

* * *

Tonya was lost in the confusion of downtown Manhattan. No one seemed to notice her, and she wasn't sure who was safe to go up to. After her experience with Baker, she was extra-careful. 

"Sweetie, are you lost?" Startled, she looked up to see a smiling police officer. "Hi. I'm Officer Sanders, but you can call me Jessica. What's your name?"

"I'm Tonya Smith." Jessica recognized the name immediately. "Me and my sister...we were kidnapped. My sister said that there was someone named Olivia Benson helping us... She's a detective."

"Do you know where your sister is?" Tonya shook her head.

"I got away. He still has her." Tonya began to cry. Jessica knelt down to her level, and wrapped her arms around her.

"You're safe, honey. I'm gonna take you to Detective Benson, okay? Let's go find my partner." She stood up again and took Tonya's had, as she walked back to her patrol car.

"Who's this?" Her partner asked, as she placed Tonya in the back seat.

"Tonya Smith. Can we find out where Detective Benson is?" He nodded and made a call.

"She works for Special Victims. Here, you call and I'll drive to the hospital." He handed her his phone with the number. Jessica dialed the number.

"Benson"

"Hi, this is Officer Sanders with Manhattan South Patrol."

"How can I help you?"

"I have Tonya Smith, and I'm taking her to the hospital now."

"Which hospital?"

"NYU Downtown."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Jessica hung up.

"Do I have to go to the hospital?" Tonya asked.

"Sorry, hon, I know how scary it is. But we have to make sure that you're okay. I'll stay with you."

"Okay."

* * *

Olivia ran into the ER, needing to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating the call. 

"Liv, slow down! She's still gonna be there." Elliot panted. There was a male uniform officer in the waiting room.

"Excuse me, Officer..."

"Carson. Call me Dave." He stood up and offered his hand to Olivia. She shook it.

"You here with Tonya Smith?"

"Yes, I am. You Detective Benson?" Olivia nodded. "She's with Officer Sanders now, getting examined. Should be done soon." She took a seat. Elliot sat besdie her, and placed an arm around her shoulders. Dave sat down across from them.

"Did she look okay when you found her?"

"From what I could see, she looked fine. Jess is the one who really found her, though." Olivia gave him a questioning look. "My partner."

"Oh." She rested her head aginst Elliot's shoulder. "He's my partner."

"Had a feeling."

"Elliot Stabler." Elliot let go of Olivia for a second to shake Dave's hand. "Nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you." The ER doors opened, and Jessica came out. Olivia went over to her.

"I'm Detective Benson."

"Jessica Sanders." Olivia shook Jessica's hand.

"How is she?"

"She's going to be okay. She just had a few cuts and bruises. He didn't sexually assault her, thank God. But she's very shaken up."

"Think she's up for a few questions?"

"I think so. Come with me, she's been asking for you. Her sister told her that you were on the case." Olivia motioned for Elliot to follow her to Tonya's bed. "Hey, sweetie. This is Detective Benson."

"Hi." Tonya said, weakly.

"Hi Tonya. This is my friend Elliot. Can we ask you a few questions?" Tonya nodded. Olivia sat on the edge of her bed. "Do you remember where you were? What it looked like?"

"Somewhere down here...It was a warehouse, I think." Jessica sat on the other side of the bed. "It was really big. He kept me in this room by myself."

"Was Michelle with you at all?" Tonya shook her head. "How did you get out?"

"There was a window, and some boxes. So I stacked them up to see if I could get out. But I couldn't cuz it was sealed. Then when Cadence came, we found this metal bar." She took a deep breath.

"Take your time, sweetie." Olivia reached over, and squeezed one of her hands briefly.

"We tried again, but neither of us could reach." She said after a few minutes. "So Cadence lifted me up, and I smashed the window. Then I saw this drainpipe, and I slid down it. And then Cadence tried to get out but...he grabbed her." She began to cry. Jessica embraced her.

"It's going to be okay, sweetie. We're gonna find Cadence." Olivia brushed a few loose strands of hair out of Tonya's eyes. Olivia then embraced her. "It's gonna be okay, sweetie." Elliot turned to Jessica.

"Where'd you guys find her?"

"By the Seaport."

"We'll go look for Cadence there." Olivia said, letting go. "I promise you, we'll find her."

* * *

"Think this one's it?"

"Hope so." Olivia got out of the car, followed by Elliot. "Should we split up?" She asked.

"Not yet." He was reluctant to let Olivia out of his sight, in case this was the place. She stopped. "What?"

"Broken glass." She pointed at the ground, and then looked for the source. "Broken window. This has to be it."

"Damn, that's high. She's one tough kid. Hell, I don't think I'd slide down that thing." Elliot tapped the drainpipe. "Let's find an entrance." They walked around for a bit, until they found a door. They pulled their guns out. "I'll go first." He whispered. She nodded and let him open the door. She followed him in.

"Careful, Elliot." She whispered.

"You too, Liv." Cautiously, they both walked through the large room. Suddenly, Olivia felt a sting, and everything began to go fuzzy.

"Elliot..." She said aloud. She took a step forward, reaching for him. He turned, just in time to see her collapse to the ground.

"Olivia!" He yelled, running to her. As he reached her, something slammed into the back of his head and he fell, unconscious. Standing over the two fallen detectives, Baker laughed.

"I've got you now." He said aloud.

* * *

"Have El or Liv come back yet?" Cragen asked. They had been gone for some time now, and he was getting worried.

"Not yet." Fin said.

"Damn, how long does it take to question a nine-year old?"

"I'll call them." He picked up the phone and dialed Olivia's number first. He was directed to her voicemail right away. "Her phone's off." He said, confused.

"That's odd. Try Elliot." Fin dailed Elliot's number and was greeted by his voicemail as well.

"Something's wrong, Cap. Both of their phones can't be off at the same time."

"Who were those uniforms they said found Tonya?"

"Soneone named Officer Sanders, I think. Manhattan South."

"Find out if they know where they went."

* * *

Elliot blinked his eyes open, slowly. His head hurt like crazy. 

"Liv?" He asked, hoping that she would be somewhere there. He was alone in the room. "Son of a bitch." He muttered, pulling himself up. Something glinted on the ground next to him. He picked it up. It was the gold necklace that Olivia always wore. "Dammit!" He yelled. Son of a bitch had her. But where? He scanned the room. It was empty. He decided to explore the warehouse further. He felt for his gun. It was gone. As was his badge, and his cell phone. Not wanting to venture further into the warehouse unarmed, he left the place the same way he had come in. His car was gone. Fortunately, there was a payphone near him. He felt his pockets for change. Thankfully, Baker had left him his wallet. He put a quarter in, and dialed Cragen's number.

"Cragen."

"Captain, it's Elliot."

"Elliot? Where are you?"

"Warehouse near the Seaport. Cap...Baker's got her."

"Who?"

"Olivia."

* * *

Cadence and Olivia were in the backseat of what she assumed was Olivia's car. Olivia was still out, her head on Cadence's shoulder. Cadence was terrified beyond belief. Since Tonya's escape, Baker had moved her. Then he had taken her out, and she had seen Elliot and Olivia passed out on the floor. He had taken Olivia, but left Elliot. Fearing that there would be no clue that they had been there, she had grabbed Olivia's necklace and snapped it. Olivia moaned.

"Elliot?" Her voice was weak. She sat up, and gasped. "Cadence. Sweetie are you okay?" Cadence nodded tearfully.

"Well, I see my lovely little ray of sunshine is awake." Baker said. Olivia glared at him. "We'll be having some fun real soon, I hope." He laughed. She shivered. He reached back to caress her face. She shrank away. The passing scenery looked like one of the outer boroughs. She wasn't quite sure which one. He slowed down by a hotel, and pulled into the parking lot. "Both of you, get out, and act like nothing's wrong." He pointed Elliot's gun at them. "We're just a happy family who's stranded. Got it?"

"Hardly." Olivia said.

"Watch it, Olivia, or you'll pay for that mouth of yours." She got out of the car with Cadence. She took Cadence's hand.

"I'll get you out of here, honey." She whispered.

"What about you?" Cadence whispered back.

"Forget me. We have Tonya, she's safe. You need to go to her. When I tell you to run, just go for it. Don't look back." They made their way to the check-in area, Baker behind them.

"We need a room, with two beds for maybe...A week?" He said.

"Stranded?"

"Unfortunately." The man behind the desk typed something into a computer.

"Sorry, only got a room with one bed."

"We'll take it." Olivia shivered at the thought of having to share a bed with this creep. The man handed Baker a key. "After you, sweetheart." She glared at him, and went in front. shielding Cadence with her body. If he was going to shoot someone, it sure as hell wasn't going to be Cadence. "Here we are." He said stopping at a door. "Home, sweet home." He laughed.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer- Not. Mine.

A/N- This one's a little darker, going into their pasts and whatnot...And, yes, Baker will be getting what he deserves...thanks again to all who reviewed. It keeps me going.

* * *

Elliot was sitting with his back against the warehouse, clutching Olivia's necklace and cursing himself for not protecting her better. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the car pull up.

"Hey man, you okay?" Startled, he looked up Munch, Fin and Cragen stood before him.

"Bastard knocked her out. I tried to get to her, but then he got me." He said, dropping his gaze to the ground. He swallowed hard. "Should've been more careful."

"Elliot, if anyone's to blame, it's Baker." Cragen said. He could hear more cars approaching, and sirens.

"Oh good, backup's here." Munch said. "We also got a bus for you. Figured you'd been knocked out."

"I'm fine." Cragen came over and pressed his fingers to the back of Elliot's skull. He winced in pain.

"That bump tells me otherwise." An ambulance and several other vehicles pulled up to the warehouse. "Go get checked out. We'll handle things from here." Elliot nodded and went over to the waiting EMT's.

* * *

Since their arrival at the hotel, Baker had wasted no time in cuffing Olivia and Cadence to the bed. With Olivia and Elliot's cuffs, of course. They were lying on the bed, facing each other. Baker had gone out to get food and "supplies". Olivia didn't want to know what he had meant by that. She was currently scanning the room to see if there was something she could use to get the cuffs off. No luck so far. 

"I'm scared." Cadence said, breaking the silence.

"I know, sweetie. I am too." She reached over with her free hand and squeezed Cadence's arm just above her cast to reassure her. "We'll get out of here. Elliot will make sure of it."

"If they find him."

"What?" Cadence hadn't told Olivia yet that Elliot was unconscious, because she thought that she already knew. Olivia had assumed that Elliot had not heard her and kept going to find Cadence.

"When Jonathan took me out of here, he was out cold next to you. That's why I snapped your necklace." Olivia felt her neck, realizing for the first time that it was gone. "I thought that he wouldn't know where we were."

"It's okay, sweetie." There was a pause. Cadence stared up at a crack in the ceiling.

"I can't beleive they went this far." She said finally, her voice low.

"Who?"

"My parents."

"So it was them." Cadence nodded. "We thought so. How'd you know?"

"Jonathan told me. After Tonya was gone. Said something about my parents not getting what they paid for. I never knew that they hated us this much." Olivia was at a loss for what to say. She simply squeezed her arm again. "It wasn't always like that. When I was little, my dad used to play soccer with me. He coached my rec team for a bit, too. Mom used to play dolls." She smiled at the happy memories. "When Tonya was born they used to take us to the zoo and stuff. Then something happened. I don't know what, but mom started drinking. And they started hitting us, and blaming us for everything." A tear escaped her eye, but she didn't seem to notice. "I used to think that we had done something terrible, until I realized that there was nothing terrible me or Tonya had done. They just hate us, I guess."

"I know what that's like." Olivia said. Cadence met her gaze. "My mom...used to hit me too. She drank. And she'd hit me when she was drunk. When she wasn't, I was her little princess."

"What about your dad?"

"I was the product of my mother's rape. The case was never solved."

"I'm sorry." They sat together in the silence, watching it get darker. "When do you think he'll be back?" They could barely see each other any more.

"I hope not soon. As hungry as I am, I don't want to see him."

"Me either." They sat in the silence once again, until they heard the door unlock. "Dammit" Cadence whispered, reaching for Olivia's hand. The door opened fully, and he turned on the light. they both squinted at the sudden change. They watched as he set down a box of pizza and a bottle of soda on the dresser. He hid another little bag in one of the drawers.

"Dinner time." He went over to uncuff them. "Don't think about trying to get out." He had the gun out again. Olivia glared. She and Cadence got off of the bed, and each grabbed a slice of pizza. They then sat back down on the edge of the bed. He watched them eat, staring at Olivia's chest. "After this, we'll have some fun, won't we Olivia?" She didn't say anything, didn't let him see any emotion. Inside, her her heart was pounding, and she had never wanted to see Elliot, or any of her other coworkers so badly. Cadence, on the other hand, was shaking. "Or...maybe I'll have some fun with Cadence here." He smirked.

"Don't you touch her." Olivia said in a low, threatening voice.

"Don't touch her? How are you going to stop me?" He laughed. Olivia pulled Cadence close to her. Cadence began to cry, burying her face in Olivia's shoulder. "Allright, dinner's over." He pushed Cadence away, knocking her off of the bed. He then grabbed Olivia by the arm, and forced her into the bathroom. "Fun time." He said with a smirk. He pushed her to the ground. At first, she was shocked, and didn't know how to react._ So this is what it feels like..._ She thought. Then she went into cop mode.

"Get off of me!" She yelled, kicking him in the stomach. He bent over in pain. She saw the gun lying on the floor near her, and picked it up. He grabbed her around the waist, trying to pull her down again, but her reflexes were too fast. She punched him. "This is for Elliot! And Tonya! And Michelle! And Cadence!" With each name she punched him again, bringing the butt of the gun down over his head on the last one. His eyes opened wide in shock before he passed out on the ground. She opened the bathroom door.

"Olivia?" Cadence's voice sounded scared. She went over to her.

"It's okay. I'm okay." She embraced Cadence. "We've got to get out of here. Do you know if he has my cell?"

"I think so. He took stuff from you and Elliot." She looked through the room, but couldn't find anything. All he had were their cuffs and her and Elliot's guns. And his wallet, of course.

"He's probably got it in the car. Come on, we need to get out of here before he wakes up." She holstered Elliot's gun, and got hers from where he had hidden it. "Fuck, he has my badge too. Did you see where he put the car keys?" Cadence shook her head. There was only one place they could be. She went back into the bathroom, and felt Baker's pockets. There they were. "Got 'em!" She went out again.

"Thank God." Cadence had already opened the door. The two of them left together, feeling relieved.

* * *

"You have a concussion, Detective Stabler." 

"Can I still help out with the investigation, or am I stuck here?" The situation had been explained to Dr. Sanchez when he had asked Elliot what happened.

"You're stuck here. I'm sorry." Elliot turned away. He was failing Olivia. "Is there anyone I can call for you?" He shook his head. As much as he loved his kids, and wanted to see them, he wasn't sure that he could deal with them at the moment. Too much anger and confusion. He didn't want to lash out at the wrong person. Dr.Sanchez stood there awkwardly for a moment, before he left, leaving Elliot alone to his thoughts.

_I never should have let her out of my sight. I should have protected her. God, please don't take my Olivia away..._ Leaving Elliot alone to his thoughts was never a good thing. The door opened and he looked up to see Casey standing there.

"Hey Elliot. I heard what happened." He was unresponsive. "You okay?"

"No." His tone was sharp. Damn. He hadn't meant to lash out at Casey. She knew this, and sat down in a chair next to his bed. He didn't look at her. They sat like that for some time, before Casey's cell phone rang. She looked at the number.

"It can't be..." She whispered. "Olivia?" She said, picking up. Elliot turned his head.

"Casey, it's me. I'm okay, I have Cadence with me. She's okay too. No one else is picking up their phones."

"Thank God. Where are you?"

"I have no idea. He took us to this hotel, and he tried to..." Olivia paused, not wanting the memories to resurface. "I knocked him out, and we escaped. Where's Elliot?"

"Right next to me." Casey handed the phone to him.

"Olivia?"

"Elliot?" A few tears slipped down his face. "El, I'm okay." Casey got up and left, not wanting to make Elliot feel awkward.

"Liv, I love you." He said. That was what he would have regretted the most. Not telling her that.

"I love you too, Elliot."

* * *

"We can stop looking here." Cragen said. They had scoured the whole warehouse looking for clues as to where they could have gone. "Olivia and Cadence escaped." He grinned.

"Seriously?" Munch asked.

"Yup." He threw down the empty food containers he had been looking at.

"Thank God. Where are they?"

"Casey said that they don't know, but they're trying to figure it out. Liv's safe though. So's Cadence. And that's all that matters."

* * *

Baker blinked his eyes open. There was a throbbing pain in the back of his head. "Bitch." He muttered, getting up of the floor. He left the bathroom, and found that Cadence and Olivia had gone. "Should've known." He sat down on the bed, considering his options. He most likely had a concussion, but since they knew who he was, he couldn't go to the hospital... Unless, of course, he wasn't Jonathan Baker. That was simple enough. Steal someone's ID. He could be anyone he wanted to. He looked for one of the detective's guns. They were gone. His gun, however, was safe where he had left it under the bed. He took it out and walked to the front desk. 

"Excuse me." He said. The man who had checked them in looked up.

"How can I help you?" Baker raised the gun and shot him once, in the head. He fell over with out a word. He then looked for security cameras. There weren't any. Smiling, he went for the nearest car, smashed the window and hotwired it. Hurting other people always gave him a rush. It seemed as if no one had heard the shot. Home free. For now.

* * *

"Okay we're on the Belt now." Olivia said. They had figured out that they were in Brooklyn, and Elliot had talked Olivia through the directions to the parkway. 

"Good. I'll see you soon." He said.

"See ya." She hung up and put the phone in the cup holder.

"Are we far?"

"Shouldn't be too far." Cadence leaned her head against the window and smiled for the first time in days. She was safe, Tonya was safe, Michelle was safe... Things couldn't be better now. "Out of curiosity, do you have anyone you can stay with, so we don't have to deal with Social Services too much?"

"My grandparents. Or maybe my Aunt Deb. Me and Tonya haven't really seen our family in a while."

"I'm sure they'd be happy to take you, then." Olivia smiled. Cadence stared out the window for a little while.

"Hey Olivia?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything."

"Anytime." They continued on back to the ones they loved, happier than either had been in a long time.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

A/N- Sorry that took so long...Stupid research paper. But, it's over now! Yay! Although, if someone says the words "MLA formatting" to me one more time, I just might scream. And it's the return of Cadence's father! Not really happy, but he's coming back in this one. And there will be more EO fluff, cuz who doesn't love that?

* * *

The ride to the hosptial seemed much longer than it actually was. But they were finally there, and Cadence had been safely deposited in Tonya's room. Olivia was now en route to see Elliot. She finally found his room and went in. They stared at each other for a few minutes, unsure of how to react. Then Olivia practically ran into his arms.

"You okay?" He asked. He sounded like he was about to cry. She was sitting on his bed, holding his hand.

"I'm okay. You?"

"Headache." He smiled.

"They didn't give you anything?"

"Yeah, but it's wearing off." She smiled at him, and tucked her hair behind her ears. "The girls okay?" She nodded, and squeezed his hand. "You should get checked out."

"I'm fine." She kissed him softly on the lips.

"He drugged you." He said, noticing for the first time the puncture wound on her neck. "He could've hurt you while you were out"

"He didn't. All he did was knock us out, and then take Cadence and me in the car. He needed to get us away before you woke up." She ran her fingers down the side of his face. "Trust me, El. I'd be feeling it now if he did anything. He likes watching people's pain, their fear, seeing their reactions. He wouldn't have raped me while I was out."

"Since when are you a psychiatrist?" He joked. She smiled.

"I could see it in his eyes. When he was threatening me. He started in on Cadence. He looked pleased when she started crying." She felt cold at the memory, and shivered. She hoped that Elliot hadn't noticed.

"He scared you too, didn't he?" He had noticed.

"Yeah." A tear made it's way down her face. She refused to meet his gaze, even when he tried to lift her head up. All she wanted to do was sleep. Maybe when she woke up, none of this would have happened. It all would have been a bad dream. But then she would never have gotten Cadence and Tonya away from their parents, and she and Elliot would have remained just friends. It was strange the way that so much terror and pain brought them together. She laid down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Tired?"

"Mmmmhmm."

"Sleep." He kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes. "Love you." He whispered into her hair.

"Love you." She whispered back.

* * *

"What do you mean, they got away!" Baker held the cellphone away from his ear. Michael was yelling at him. "Jesus Christ." 

"Nothing I can do about it now."

"You just had to kidnap a cop, didn't you? Asshole, they're trained better than you! Cadence could've been dead and in the river by now! But, of course, you just had to have your cop!"

"You didn't even have the money to pay me, and you're yelling at me?" There was silence at the other end. "Where are you, anyway?"

"At my parents house. Haven't seen them in a while. Told them that me and Jenny had a fight and I needed some time to cool off."

"They haven't been watching the news?"

"You think I'd let them?" He laughed. "Now they're gonna be looking for you."

"I'm gonna lay low for a while. There's this girl I can stay with." He looked in his rearview mirror, convinced for a second that there was a patrol car behind him. It was simply a white car.

"In a while I'm gonna try and find them, and finish the job myself. For now, though, I'm gonna let them think they're safe."

"While you're at it, get Olivia for me. And don't make my mistake. Keep her cuffed."

"The cop? Jeez, Jon...Just let it go." Michael would do anything to get his kids and finish the job. Except go through a cop in the process. If she had beaten Jonathan once, she could do it again. "Why is she so important?"

"Because she beat me. No one beats me. I'd kill your kids myself, if you didn't want to." He turned onto a side street to get away from the car. Just in case. "I have to show that bitch who's boss." Michael sighed.

"No guarantees." He checked his mirror again. No one was following him. Good.

"Just remember, be subtle about it. Use that crap you gave me to knock Olivia out. We can't risk them causing a scene."

"I know."

* * *

Michael hung up the phone hastily. His parents were back from their trip to the grocery store. This felt like when he was in high school, and was on the phone when he wasn't supposed to be.

"Mikey, who were you talking to?" Marissa Smith asked him, putting a bag down on the kitchen table.

"I told you not to call me that, Ma. I'm a grown man, I'm married and I have two kids." His mother looked hurt. "It was Jenny." He lied quickly. "I'm going back home."

"Oh...You won't be staying for dinner?" His father, Joe, asked.

"Nope."

"Allright then, honey. Do me a favor and call us more. I miss my little grandchildren...How old is Tonya now?" His mother asked, going over to him.

"Eight." At least, he thought it was eight. Why keep track? They were just going to be dead soon anyway. His mother felt a pang of hurt. She knew damn well how old they were. Tonya was nine. She knew that. Why didn't her own father? "Really, Ma, I should get going. Jenny wants me home for dinner, and you know those kids. Always impatient when it comes to dinner." She shoved her suspicions into the back of her mind temporarily.

"Okay honey." She kissed his cheek. "It was nice seeing you." He shook hands with his father, and then left. His mother watched him leave, before speaking again. "Joe, there's something wrong here."

"I've been thinking that for some time now. Last night on the news, I saw the last few seconds of a segment. There was a picture of two little girls, who looked like them."

"You watched the news?" Neither of them liked watching television very much. Both had been English teachers, and had preferred books. Even if it was the news, or something.

"To check the forecast. They say it's going to be getting a bit chilly in the next few days." He half smiled. "Maybe we should call that number...What's it called again? Crime something..."

"Crimestoppers?" She knew it from subway ads.

"Yeah, that. Maybe they know something that we don't."

"Maybe we should break our rule, and start watching more T.V." She went over to the grocery bags, and started unpacking. "You call. I'll take care of this."

* * *

Baker pulled up at the white house. Just as he had remembered it, from all those years ago. He was surprised that she hadn't moved or something. Taking his gun with him, he got out of the car, and went to the house. On the first ring, no one answered the door. Two more, and she was there. 

"I'm sorry, I was..." She stopped midsentence.

"Hello there, Lauren." Her facial expression was one of disbelief. "I need a place to stay for a few days. And you're going to give it to me." She couldn't make herself speak. Always when she was around him, the words got stuck. "Well, you are going to let me in, aren't you?"

"No." It was small, but it finally came out.

"I can't hear you, Lauren."

"NO!" This time it was practically a scream, as she slapped him. "Just leave me alone, okay?" She tried to shut the door , but he blocked it.

"Yes you are." He held the gun up. She froze again, and her grip on the door was lost. He pushed past her into the house, and shut it. "That's a good girl. Cooperate with me, and you won't get hurt." Her eyes filled with tears, as she stared at the gun. Her life, or her sanity? She wasn't sure which she would choose. There had to be a way to get out of this.

"Sick freak." She muttered. She thought that she had gotten past it. Apparently not. She was shaking, just like last time. And the time before.

"Just act normal. I'm just going to stay here. And you're not going to tell anybody." She walked away from him, and started upstairs. "The second I see a cop car, or something, you're dead. " She paused, and then continued on up. "Oh and there's one more thing I need from you. I need you to take me to the hospital, and use your brother's ID. See, I have a nasty little bump on my head that I need to get checked out."

"Fine, just let me get my keys." She went the rest of the way upstairs, and went into the drawer where she kept her important things. She took her brother's ID out, along with a can of mace and a switchblade. Her safety tools. Ever since her first encounter with Baker, she had been more cautious than normal. She started back downstairs. His back was to her. Finally, she could get some justice. She flipped open the switchblade, and raised it over her head. Years of anger, and pain caused by this bastard fueled her, and she sunk it into the back of his neck. She heard a yelp of pain, and pulled out. "Asshole!" She stabbed him again. He fell to the ground. She stood over him, feeling a rush of relief. She had to make sure he was dead. She bent down, and felt his pulse. Nothing. She sunk to the ground, sobbing with relief.

* * *

"What? Really? You're sure? Okay, thanks, I'll let them know." Fin was sitting next to Elliot's bed. He and Olivia were both sleeping. He shook Olivia's shoulder. 

"What?" She asked groggily.

"He's dead."

"Who?"

"Baker." She smiled. "Stabbed. Apparently he went to hide out at one of his old vic's houses. She took a knife, and stabbed him."

"Wow." She was speechless.

"What's going on?" Elliot asked.

"Baker's dead. Stabbed." He smiled as well.

"Do they need us there?"

"They didn't say anything. I'm gonna go, though." He stood up to leave. "Oh, and it's great to see you again, Liv. You gave us quite a scare." He left.

"Thank God. They really are safe now." Elliot said.

"Yeah." She said, letting the relief really sink in. Soon, they would have Mrs.Smith in jail and...wait a second..."Elliot, we never found Michael Smith." His eyes opened wide, as he realized what this meant.

"So...they're not really safe..." She shook her head.

"Dammit..." she whispered. "Is this ever going to end?"

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- Not. Mine.

A/N-Yay I got another chapter up! This one took forever cuz when I actually got to sit and write it, all of the lovely ideas I had while I was supposed to be doing classwork died on me. But it's up. Yay. And I give cookies to everyone who reviewed, cuz I love cookies. And I love reviews. (hint, hint) But, since I can't put real cookies on a webpage, you just have to use your imaginations :)

* * *

The next day, Olivia was back at work, waiting for Elliot to come in. They had planned that after they were discharged, Elliot would bring the girls to the precinct, and that night they would sleep over at Olivia's house. They still hadn't contacted their family. 

"Any word on what time he'll be here?" Fin asked.

"Nope." She responded. She was getting a little impatient and worried. She knew that they were safe with Elliot no matter what, but still. After her experience yesterday, she was still paranoid. When Elliot had finally made her go home and sleep in a normal bed, her night wasn't exactly restful. When she wasn't freaking out at every little noise she heard, there were nightmares.

"Oh, speak of the devil." Munch said, as Elliot came in with the two girls. Olivia smiled at them.

"Find the place okay?" She asked.

"No, actually we got a little lost." He said jokingly.

"What is it with men and asking for directions?"

"Nah. I actually took a detour, so I could get them some breakfast that wasn't hospital style corrugated cardboard."

"Elliot's cool." Tonya said.

"He is, isn't he?" Olivia said. "Hopefully he can find some fun diversions for you two. You're gonna be so bored after a while."

"How about letting them use your laptop?" Elliot suggested.

"Didn't think of that." She got it out of her bag, and handed it to Cadence. "Go nuts. And just tell me if you two need anything." Elliot got them set up at an empty desk, and then sat across from Olivia.

"Rough night?" She nodded. "You look so tired, Liv. Want me to ask for the rest of the day off?"

"I want to get all of this out of the way as soon as possible. Besdies we have to get them someplace to stay." She paused "And I want to get them a detail, until we find Michael." She added in a near whisper. The girls hadn't been told yet that their father was still out there. And Olivia didn't want them to know just yet. They didn't need to worry more than they already were.

"Good point." He grabbed a stack of paperwork, and started in on it.

* * *

Later that night, Olivia was reading a magazine Casey had left at her house a few weeks ago. During the day, they had finally contacted Cadence and Tonya's aunt, and the next morning they were going to be picked up at the precinct. The girls had hit it off big with the rest of the officers. Tonya had spent quite a bit of time playing tic-tac-toe with Fin, and Olivia had spotted Cadence in a conversation with Munch. She did not want to know what sort of conspiracy he had educated her on. Later on, Fin had gotten a bunch of sharpies and everyone had decorated Cadence's cast. Overall, the girls had had a lot of fun. Olivia on the other hand, had spent quite a bit of her day sleeping on her desk. Elliot had just let her sleep until lunch. For some reason, she was still dead tired. She was waiting for the girls to fall asleep first. She had too much on her mind at the moment and needed a little quiet time with Casey's Cosmo.

"Olivia, can I ask you something?" She put the magazine down.

"Sure." Cadence sat down at the edge of the sofa bed.

"What happened to my parents?"

"We arrested your mother. As far as I know she's in jail at the moment."

"What about my father?" Olivia sighed. "He's still out there isn't he?"

"Yeah."

"Damn." Cadence looked at her hands, which were resting in her lap. With her cast all decorated, she might never run out of interesting reading material.

"We've got a protective detail assigned to you, at your aunt's house. There will be officers all over the place. And if he tries anything, you can guess what'll happen."

"What if he knows we're here?"

"I won't let him get to you." Cadence smiled. "It's late, you should be getting to sleep soon. I should be too."

"Yeah, I saw you asleep on your desk for most of the day." Olivia laughed. Cadence got up. "Good night."

"Night, sweetie." She went into Olivia's room, and shut the door. Olivia went back to reading. Just as she was getting into it, the doorbell rang. "What now?" She muttered, going to answer it. She was greeted by a smiling Elliot. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just missed you." She smiled.

"Want to come in?"

"Yeah." He went past her, and dropped her gym bag on the floor. "And you left this at my house. Figured you'd want it back." She closed the door, making sure that it was locked. "How are you doing?" She shrugged.

"Pretty good, I guess."

"You sure?" She shook her head. He came over and wrapped his arms around her. "Talk to me." He led her over to the sofa bed and sat her down.

"I'm just..." She paused, trying to figure out how to phrase it.

"Confused? Scared?"

"Both."

"That's understandable." He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I'm tired, but every time I close my eyes, I feel him grabbing me and pushing me down." His heart froze. She hadn't told him that he had tried to rape her yet.

"Liv, did he...did he rape you?" Tearfully, she shook her head. He pulled her into his arms, and squeezed her.

"He tried." She was crying now. He held her until the tears stopped, occasionally brushing his lips against her hair. "Stay with me?" She asked, once she had stopped crying.

"Sure." She smiled at him.

"Thanks, El." He snuggled under the covers with her, pulling her close to him. She turned out the light. His face was illuminated by the street lights.

"What time do the girls have to be out of here tomorrow?"

"9:30ish." His watch glowed briefly as he set the alarm. "I'm gonna try and have them at the precinct by 10."

"Kay."

"Night, Elliot."

"Night, 'Livia."

* * *

The apartment had finally been cleared of all cops. He had made sure of that through an oblivious neighbor. Thankfully the night watch doorman was lazy, and simply trusted people to use their keys. Michael had a clear way into his apartment. It was quiet, for once. No kids, no Jenny. Although, he did kind of miss his wife. They had planned it together. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. 

"...Police have confirmed that Jonathan Baker, convicted sex offender and the kidnapper of nine year old Tonya and fifteen year old Cadence Smith is dead. Baker tried to seek refuge in a former victim's home, where she stabbed him to death in self-defense. The unnamed victim will not be charged with murder." He turned off the TV.

"Fuck." He muttered. Just what he needed. Now that Jonathan was dead, and Jenny was in jail, the search for him was going to be much more intense. His only hope was that they weren't going to track his credit cards. Then again, he did have one stolen from his brother. His family was too easy. Always offering to help, always leaving things where he could get to them...The credit card had been stolen at a Christmas dinner last year. He had only come to say hello. When he went to use the bathroom, there it was, lying on a desk. He couldn't resist. That was around when he had met Baker, and decided to finally get rid of his children.

_"I like 'em young, but you know parents. Always looking out for them. You don't have kids do you, doctor?"_

_"Unfortunately I do. Two little brats who are more trouble than they're worth." Thankfully the conversation wasn't being recorded. _

_"Hit them?"_

_"All the time." He laughed. Baker laughed. _

_"If you ever want to get rid of them...just let me know. I can help."_

_"I might need it some day."  
_

It had been the beginning of a sick friendship. When he was first assigned to the criminals, he had been young, and had actually hated them. Slowly, he began to see their points of view. They had broken him down, and made him see things their way, justifying everything with an excuse that would have angered any normal doctor. But Michael was easily swayed. As was Jenny. It had only taken two punches to make her see things his way. It wasn't so hard to change anyone's opinion really. All you needed was a clever argument, or physical violence. He began to pack a bag of clothes. He was taking his brother's credit card, and getting the hell out of there for a while. When things died down, as they always did, he would come back and finish what he started. As kind of a tribute to Jonathan, he was even going to risk taking Olivia as well as his children. Might as well finish what he started. He picked up the now packed bag, and left.  
_

* * *

_

Early the next morning, Olivia woke up to an annoying high-pitched beeping sound. She groped around for whatever the hell it was. She hit something that was kind of squishy. 

"That would be my nose, Liv." She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Sorry, Elliot."

"It's okay." He turned off the alarm and yawned loudly. She closed her eyes again, and laid her head on his chest. "Time to get up, Livvy."

"Sleep." She mumbled.

"Come on, we've got to take the girls in to the precinct." He lifted one of her hands to his lips and kissed it. "After we do that, we can come back here and sleep. All day, if you want." She smiled. "Come on, get up." She sat up. "I'll go make some coffee, kay?" She nodded. He got out of bed, leaving her feeling cold all of a sudden. He had been keeping her warm all night. She wrapped the comforter around herself tightly. He came back in a little while later, and handed her a mug. "Feeling better?" During the night, she had had a nightmare, which Elliot had woken her up from. She had then spent a half an hour shaking and crying in his arms.

"I guess."

"It'll get better with time. And you should definitely talk to Huang." She gave him a look. "Okay, I know I'd hate it if you made me go, but I just don't like seeing you scared and hurt."

"I'll think about it." He took one of her hands.

"For me?" He gave her a puppydog face. She laughed.

"Okay, fine. But don't ever use that on me again."

"You should go wake them up."

"Yeah." He watched her go, and couldn't help but smile and hope that one day, she'd be waking up their child.

* * *

"Hi, I'm Debra Connelly. I was told to come here by..." She looked at the paper. "Olivia Benson. To pick up my nieces." 

"They should be here any minute. Have a seat." Fin offered Debra a chair.

"Do you know if he...hurt them?"

"Aside from a few bruises, and a broken wrist they're fine."

"Auntie Deb!" Debra stood up, and looked in the direction of the child's scream. Tonya flew into her arms, followed by Cadence.

"Oh girls, I'm so glad to see you." She embraced them tightly. By the door Olivia watched the happy reunion with a smile on her face. It might not have been completely over, but at least there was some happiness to keep all of the bad possiblities from seeming real. Elliot slipped an arm around her waist.

"I love it when they end like this." She said.

"Me too." Debra came over to them.

"Olivia this is my Aunt Deb." Cadence said.

"You're Olivia Benson?" Olivia nodded. "You found my nieces. How can I ever thank you?"

"Just by keeping them safe."

"Oh, don't worry, I will. Is there anything important I need to know?"

"We need to take statements from them. Maybe sometime later in the week. They should really get settled in today. Their apartment's cleared, so they can pick up their stuff anytime they want. And just be sure to give us a call if anything gets too suspicious. The detail will handle any immediate threats, but we're the ones who can go into deeper investigations."

"'Livia, are we going to see you again?" Tonya asked. She was clutching on to Deb's hand.

"Of course you will, honey. If either of you ever need me, I'm just a phone call away. You have my number, right?" Deb nodded. "I'll see you girls around." She quickly embraced Tonya.

"Thank you so much, Olivia. You're awesome!" Cadence said, hugging her longer.

"You're welcome, sweetie."

"Bye Elliot."

"Bye." He waved at them. "They're safe for now."

"Hopefully forever." She yawned. "I'm ready to go to sleep again, how about you?"

"You read my mind, Liv."

* * *

A/N- don't worry, there's still more to come!

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer- Not. Mine.

A/N-It's almost at the end, but not quite there yet. Kinda sad, almost. But soon everyone will get justice, and that should make everyone happy. Yay. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Keep 'em coming! It really does keep me going...

* * *

The heat turned what little energy she had into pure laziness. The room smelled of summer, and it was too damn hard to concentrate on whatever she was supposed to be writing. Cadence lazily began to braid a few strands of loose hair. Only five more minutes until she could get out, pick up Tonya and take her to the park. It had been about nine months since the incident with Baker. Even though the protective detail was gone, and no one was watching anything that could be a threat to her, she felt carefree again rather than paranoid. The loud end of the day bell startled her out of her thoughts. She jumped up, grabbed her books and went off to her locker. 

"Hey Cadence, coming over to my house later?" Her friend Audrey called from down the hallway.

"Yeah, just let me pick up Tonya first."

"Okay, see you." She felt a little guilty, abandoning Tonya. Then again, Aunt Deb would probably take her instead. Besides, she had spent every afternoon of the week there with Tonya, and she deserved a little time with her friends. She slammed her locker, and went off in the direction of Tonya's school, which was a few blocks away.

As usual, Tonya was waiting by the door, in the spot which their mother used to force them to wait, until one day Cadence realized that they were on their own. Thankfully their mother was in jail now, serving quite a bit of time at Rikers. Tonya gave Cadence her customary squeeze and began to walk off in the direction of the playgorund.

"Tonya, hun, Aunt Deb's gonna have to take you. I'm going over to Audrey's house."

"Oh. Okay." She turned in the direction of their new apartment, which was just a few blocks away from their old one. Aunt Deb hadn't wanted to move them away from everything.

Stepping into the lobby was like jumping into a pool on a hot day. It was just too hot outside to be walking, even though it was only a short distance. Thankfully, summer vacation was soon. then they could spent all of their time sleeping in a nice air conditioned apartment. Cadence opened the door. The apartment was quiet. Too quiet. Usually by now, Aunt Deb had dinner going, or the TV was on. Cadence felt a little uneasy.

"Anyone home?" She called, keeping a grip on Tonya's shoulder. If she needed to run, she wasn't going to leave her sister. No matter what. "Aunt Deb?" She heard a thump, and jumped a little. "Tonya, if I tell you to run, you run, okay?" Tonya nodded.

"I don't like it, Cadie. She didn't leave a note. She always leaves a note." She was standing by the kitchen counter, looking for some sign of where their aunt had gone.

"I'm going to go check her room, maybe she's asleep." Cadence went towards her aunt's room.

"Cadie, don't..." Tonya said.

"Just stay there, Tonya." Tonya glanced at ther sister's retreating back, and then at the door. She wasn't sure she would be able to run if she had to. Cadence stepped into the dark bedroom. No one was in there.

"Miss me?" A male voice said, as a hand clapped over her mouth. She tried to pull away. "Oh I don't think so. See, the little plan I had for the two of you was never fully carried out." She felt a sting on her neck, and went limp in his arms. He picked her up and went out to where Tonya was.

"Go away!" She said, in a high pitched voice. She clung to one of the kitchen chairs. "Leave me alone! Please!" She began to cry. Michael put Cadence down on the floor.

"You're coming with me." He said, trying to pry her off the chair. Tonya bit him. "Ow! You stupid little bitch!" He raised his hand high above his head. Remembering all the times that that had happened to her before, Tonya put her hands over her head. Now that she had let go of the chair, he injected her with the same sedative he had given Cadence. She blinked a few times before slumping over. "Now I've got you." He said, picking them both up and carrying them out of the house.

* * *

"You look dead." Elliot commented. 

"I feel dead." Olivia responded. Her hair was sticking to her face, and she was attempting to cool down by fanning herself with a folder. It wasn't working very well. "When the hell are they going to fix the damned air conditioner?"

"When they feel like calling the repair guys." He too was in agony over the heat, and all he wanted to do right now was either jump in a bucket of ice, or pass out in the crib. "And tomorrow, you shouldn't wear a long sleeved shirt."

"I was out of short sleeved ones." She frantically fanned herself. "I'm seriously going to die. I do not feel well at all."

"That's just going to make it worse." He pulled the folder from her hand. "Need to take a walk?" She nodded, and got up. "Come on, we can go to that smoothie place." Just as they were about to leave, Olivia's phone rang.

"Detective Benson." She answered wearily.

"Um...Olivia? This is Debra Connelly..."

"What's up?" She sat back down. She hadn't gotten a call from her since just before the detail was dismissed a few months ago.

"There's a problem." Olivia felt her heart sink. "Uhhh, I went out to get some groceries, and when I came back the girls were gone."

"Don't they usually go to the park?" She said, not wanting to believe that they had been kidnapped again.

"Yes. And I thought that they went there but..." She paused. It sounded like she was crying. "I got a call from Cadence's friend Audrey. She told me that Cadence was supposed to be at her house an hour ago and never showed up. That's not like Cadence." Olivia couldn't feel anything at the moment. This could not be happening again. A little part of her brain told her that she knew it was coming. It was inevitable. "I also found a syringe on the floor in my bedroom."

"Did you touch it?"

"No, I just saw it. That's when I really knew." Debra was crying. Olivia felt a few tears slip down her own face. She never normally cried in public. Only when she was extremely frustrated, or scared beyond belief. Right now she was frustrated. The heat, and the news just brought her over the edge. Elliot noticed, and was immediately trying to inquire what was wrong.

"Okay, we'll send a CSU team there soon, and I'll be there as well."

"Thank you." It was a near whisper. Olivia hung up before she really started crying, and immediately went up to the roof, Elliot on her heels.

"Liv..." His hand was on her back. "It's the girls, right?" She nodded and turned towards him, letting him embrace her tightly. "We found them once. We can do it again." She nodded.

"I'm just so...frustrated. Between this heat wave and that call, I just need to let it out."

"I know." He whispered into her hair. "I know." She pulled away, wiping her eyes furiously.

"We need to get down there." He nodded. "I need to take off this shirt." She pulled it over her head, leaving her wearing just a blue tank top. "Let's go." She went back down to grab the car keys.

"Hey Olivia, don't we have some sort of dress code?" Munch asked, noticing her holding her shirt.

"Yeah, I'm sure there's something in there about modesty." Fin added.

"It's hot and I don't need any comments from the peanut gallery." She said. They laughed. "Shut up, I am not in a good mood right now. In case you didn't hear my phone conversation before, Cadence and Tonya are missing again."

"Oh shit..." Fin said. "She's sure they were kidnapped?"

"She found a syringe. I'm on my way down now to check it out."

"I'm driving." Elliot said, taking the keys from her. "You haven't let me for the past week." She didn't pretend to fight with him, like she normally would have. This was too important for her to be wasting time. She placed a call for a CSU team to be sent to the apartment.

"Let's go." She said, once she was finished. The two of them headed out the door.

* * *

Waking up in the back of a van was not a fun experience. Michael had made sure that on some of the turns he took, his children were thrown against a wall of the van. Once they opened their eyes, they were a little bruised, and quite sore. Cadence's bad wrist was acting up. Tonya was carsick. Both didn't seem to care the way they would have had they not been in this situation. 

"Cadence, we're gonna die, aren't we?" Tonya said in a voice she wasn't sure was hers.

"Yes, you're gonna die!" Michael said in a high-pitched voice, imitating Tonya. "This time I'm making sure of it. It's why we're going so far upstate. Your precious police officer friend won't find you this time." Neither girl had really thought about Olivia or Elliot or anyone else at the 1-6 for quite some time. But hearing this made them remember. And they had a little glimmer of hope to keep them going. Cadence squeezedTonya's hand reassuringly.

"We're not going to die." Cadence whispered. "We'll get out of this again. We have to somehow."

"We will." Tonya began to feel reassured, and determined.

"Not if I can help it." Michael said, taking a sharp turn and making them hit the wall again.

* * *

A/N- Don't worry, there's more!  



	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer- Not. Mine.

A/N- Getting closer to the end...I think there's going to be one more chapter after this. Maybe two, if I can't get it to end. Either way it's almost there. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed.

* * *

Long after they got the news, they were out chasing leads. They had figured out how Michael had gotten them out of the building, what he had drugged them with, his getaway vehicle, even his license plate. Pretty much everything. 

Except where he had taken the girls.

Thanks to survalliance tapes, and the Amber Alert they sent out,they had managed to track him up to a tollbooth just outside of Poughkeepsie. Inside of the police station near it, they went over yet another survailliance tape, growing more anxious by the minute. This was their last possible lead.

"There it is." Olivia pointed at the white van on the screen. Michael was paying the toll clerk, and then drove off. Unfortunately, the camera could only see so much distance wise, and before they could see if he was turning onto an exit or not, he was gone. "Dammit."

"Who was the clerk on duty at the time?" Elliot asked the officer who was helping them.

"George Albrachet. He's still here, if you want to ask him some questions." They followed the officer out to the booth.

"Mr.Albrachet, this is Detective Benson and Detective Stabler. They want to ask you about a van that passed through at 5:17 this afternoon."

"Can't say that I'll remember it too well. So many cars pass through here every day." George answered.

"Do you remember seeing a white van, license plate CTU 2469? Driver was a white male mid to late thirties with dark hair." Olivia said.

"I saw a few white vans."

"Did anything stand out about the drivers? Maybe they were rude to you?" Elliot said.

"One of 'em was in a real big hurry. Wanted me to make his change faster, he said that he had something important to do."

"Do you remember if it went off the highway?" Olivia's tone was urgent, instincts telling her that it was Michael.

"I'm sorry, I don't."

"You have to remember!" She yelled. "Come on, he has two girls inside, he's going to kill them! Please, you have to!"

"I'm sorry, I don't!" She took a step back, realizing that she had snapped at the wrong person. Elliot looked at her, concerned. She couldn't just stand there anymore. She took off running down the highway, people swerving to avoid hitting her. She could hear Elliot calling her name faintly, and footsteps behind her, but she had to find those girls. Now. After having run a short distance, she had to accept it for what it was. A dead end. They had done everything they could have possibly done. She sank to the ground. Everything was a blur, as she remembered the promises she had made. She was vaguely aware of someone picking her up off the ground and carrying her to safety as if she was a little girl.

"Jesus Liv, you scared the hell out of me." Elliot was holding her now, his heart beating rapidly.

"I failed them."

"No you didn't. We did everything we could have done."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't." After a while, he was leading her back to the car. It was as if she was watching a movie of herself, rather than really being herself. The whole drive back to the precinct was spent staring out the window, but not really seeing anything. She felt nothing. "Liv?" Elliot was brushing her hair out of her eyes. She looked over at him. "We're here, sweetie." She got out of the car and went into the precinct.

When he walked out of his office, the first thing Cragen saw was Olivia looking like the sun would never shine again. His other detectives had the same look. He knew then that it was over.

"Go home. All of you." And they all did, each convinced of some personal mistake that caused this to happen.

* * *

The van pulled to a stop. Cadence opened her eyes at the sudden change. She shook Tonya awake. 

"Where are we?" She asked groggily.

"I have no idea." Michael got out of the van. They could hear his footsteps crunching on gravel, moving towards the back. They squeezed each other for comfort, as the doors opened.

"Get out." Silently, they obeyed. "Walk in front of me." They slowly started walking down the dark road before them, gripping each other's hands for support. Behind them, Michael turned on a flashlight. "Faster!" He barked. They went faster. After a while, he made them turn, and go down a path to an empty farmhouse. The door made a loud scraping noise. He turned on a couple of camping lamps he had brought with him. "Now it's over for both of you." He raised a gun. Tonya flinched.

"Before you kill us, can I just ask you one thing?" Cadence said, stepping in front of her sister.

"Fine."

"Why? You used to be the best dad ever. You coached my soccer team, remember? You used to take us places. Remember when we went to the beach at night, and you pointed out all of the constellations to me? Remember that?" The fear she had felt before was fading, and was replaced with hurt. "What happened?"

"I realized something. I realized that you were put on this earth to annoy the hell out of me. You were a burden to me and your mother. We used to have all the time in the world until the both of you popped out. And then we had to be devoted to both of you every night, every day, always fucking whining!" He had begun to yell.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you had sex!" She too was yelling. She was tired of fearing him, and needed to fight back.

"Shut up, you ungrateful little whore!" He hit her with the gun. She cried out, and fell backwards. "No more talking! This is the end!" He raised the gun again, this time to Tonya's head. She whimpered and looked towards Cadence, who now had a bloody nose.

"Hey! Leave those kids alone!" A female voice cut through the yelling. There was a silhouette in the barn door. Michael took a step back, surprised. Tonya took advantage of the opportunity and ran to Cadence.

"Lady...don't piss me off..." He aimed the gun towards her. "Just get the hell out of here, and you won't get hurt."

"Hand over those kids." She aimed a shotgun at him.

"No." His voice was a little shaky. "Get out of here. I'll shoot them if you take a step closer." He aimed the gun back at the girls. "I mean it."

"I meant it too. Close your eyes, girls." As they did, a shot was fired. They heard a dull thud. "Keep 'em closed." They felt her help them up, and lead them out of the barn. "You okay?"

"I think so." Tonya sniffled. "Who are you?"

"Name's Jo. I live over there." She pointed at a house thay had not seen before. "This is our old barn. My husband heard a noise and figured it was one of the kids from down the road. Barn's not safe at all, so I came down to check it out."

"Thank you." Cadence held a hand to her nose.

"Let's get you cleaned up. After that we can call your parents. Who was that guy anyway? You know him?"

"He's our dad." Jo stopped dead in her tracks.

"You serious?" They nodded. "Poor kids...you've been through a lot, haven't you?" They nodded again. "It's all over now." She hugged them. "You're safe."

* * *

Olivia reached out for Elliot, and found that he was gone. She sat up straight, looking around. He wasn't in the bathroom. She got out of bed, and went in search of him. 

"Elliot?" He was sitting in a chair in his backyard, staring up at the few visible stars. He turned his head towards her.

"Can't sleep?" She shook her head. He motioned for her to come sit in his lap. "Neither can I." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I keep seeing them. Every time I close my eyes."

"Me too." He sighed. "We'll get him. I don't care how long it takes, or what we have to do, we are going to find that son of a bitch." She leaned back against him.

"I know." Her voice was small. "I wish I had a chance to say goodbye." A few tears slipped down her cheeks. He kissed the back of her head. In the house, the phone was ringing. But neither heard it. Eventually Olivia fell asleep, and Elliot carried her up to bed.

The next morning he woke up to Olivia's cell phone ringing. He groped around the nightstand for it. When he couldn't find it, he rolled over, and pulled the covers over his head, hoping that it would stop. Unfortuately for him, it kept going.

"That's it. I am going to kill that fucking phone." Olivia said, getting out of bed to find it. "Benson." Her voice stopped short of a yell.

"It's Cadence."

"Sweetheart, are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. So is Tonya. We're up by..." There was a voice in the background. "We're near Binghamton."

"Where's your father?"

"He's dead." Olivia sighed with relief.

"Do you need me to come get you?"

"The woman who found us is going to drive us down, as soon as we're done with the police up here. She's the one who shot him."

"Okay. Give me a call when you're leaving, kay?"

"I will."

"I'm so glad you're okay, sweetie. See you later."

"See you." Olivia hung up the phone.

"Was that them?" Elliot asked from under the covers.

"Yeah." She smiled. "It's over, Elliot. It's finally over."

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer- Not. Mine.

A/N-Last chapter! Yay! Sorry this one took so long...I've been busy with finals and regents and stuff...but it's all over now. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed and kept me going.

* * *

That afternoon, the detectives of the SVU sat anxiously awaiting Cadence and Tonya's arrival. Luckily, Jo had not been charged with murder for having shot Michael. In fact, due to the circumstances, she hadn't been charged with anything. Cragen had made sure of that.

"Why is it taking so long?"

"Relax, Liv. They'll be here soon." She had given her chair to Debra, and was sitting on Elliot's lap. He had his arms wrapped around her waist.

"How come you never hold me like that?" Munch asked Fin, giving him a pouty face as he did. Fin rolled his eyes. "I was kidding." He said, when he noticed Elliot's look.

"How far upstate are they again?" Debra asked.

"Near Binghamton." Olivia responded. After that they returned to being silent. Olivia began to worry. What if Michael had forced them to call, and give them false hope? What if something happened to them on the way? The what ifs swirled around her mind, making her more anxious by the minute.

"They're fine, Liv." Elliot's voice brought her out of her negative thoughts.

"How is it that you can read my mind so well?"

"Cuz I've known you for so long." He kissed the back of her neck. "They'll be here soon. They're a good four to five hours out of the city, and thats when traffic's good."

"You're right." She tried to focus her thoughts on something positive.

An hour later, they still weren't there. Olivia had gotten up and was now pacing around nervously. Elliot had begun to fill out paperwork to keep him busy.

"Think we should order a pizza or something?" Fin said, breaking the slience. "I'm starving."

"Not hungry." Olivia said.

"Well I am. I'm going to go get some. Anyone else want?" Nobody did. "Suit yourselves." He got his wallet and left. Debra sighed. It was beginning to get dark out. Elliot grabbed Olivia's wrist when she passed.

"Sit, you're making me nervous." She went over to Fin's desk, and sat in his now empty chair.

"Hey, look who I found." They all turned their heads towards the sound of Fin's voice. Just like the last time, the two girls ran excitedly towards their aunt. Olivia smiled. Now she could safely say that it was all over.

"Told you they were fine." Elliot was standing next to her, a huge grin on his face. She stood and embraced him. Completely ignoring the fact that they were in public, and surrounded by people, Elliot cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. It was only when they heard giggles that they broke apart. Olivia looked down and smiled at the two girls.

"Hey girls."

"Hi Olivia." Cadence said. Tonya was still giggling uncontrollably.

"You okay?" Both of them nodded. "Glad to hear it."

"I'm still hungry you know." Fin said. They all laughed.

"How about we all go out to dinner? That is if it's okay with your aunt." Elliot suggested.

"That sounds good." Cadence went over to ask Debra's permission. Tonya wrapped her arms around Olivia's waist.

"Thank you Olivia." She said.

"You're welcome, sweetie." She embraced the little girl tightly.

"She said yes."

"Well, then let's go." She took Tonya's hand. Standing near the door was a woman none of them had ever seen before. However, they all knew who she was. "You're welcome to come with us too, Jo."

"I'd like that." She joined them as they all headed outside, and for the first time in years, Cadence and Tonya were truly safe.


End file.
